1. Field of the Embodiments of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to eye gaze tracking and, more specifically, to detecting visual inattention based on eye convergence.
2. Description of the Related Art
Approximately ten million people are involved in automobile accidents each year in the United States. Although a variety of factors may contribute to the occurrence of an automobile accident, driver inattention is the leading cause. In some cases, driver inattention may result from distractions inside of an automobile, such as operation of a cell phone, distractions outside of the automobile, or driver fatigue.
In order to reduce the incidence of automobile accidents resulting from driver inattention, car manufacturers have begun to introduce technologies that perform head tracking. For example, various safety systems track the location of the driver's head and determine whether the position of the head has deviated from a particular location, indicating that the driver is falling asleep. In response, the safety system may provide a visual and/or auditory warning to the driver. Additionally, various safety systems detect the direction of the driver's head and provide a visual and/or auditory warning if the driver is looking away from the road.
However, the safety systems described above are unable to detect situations in which a driver is looking towards the road ahead but is not paying attention to what is in front of him or her. That is, the direction of a driver's head is not necessarily indicative of the attentiveness of the driver. As a result, such systems may be unable to detect when a driver is daydreaming and/or otherwise failing to pay attention to his or her surroundings.
As the foregoing illustrates, improved techniques for enabling the detection of driver inattentiveness would be useful.